Ashdod, MINA – The human rights organization Adalah reported that at least 331 participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) are now being held by Israeli occupation authorities following the interception in international waters.
They are facing hearings before Israeli immigration authorities at the Port of Ashdod without full access to legal representation.
According to Adalah, in a statement on Saturday, many participants were processed without legal consultation as lawyers were initially denied entry to the port.
“This process is a blatant violation from start to finish. The interception in international waters is an act of kidnapping, and the blockade itself is illegal and a form of collective punishment,” Adalah stressed.
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GSF volunteers reported that during the abduction they were forced to kneel with their hands bound by plastic ties for more than five hours simply for chanting “Free Palestine.” They were also denied access to water, toilets, and essential medication.
During a lawyer’s visit, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was present at the site, a move viewed as intimidation.
The volunteers were even mass-filmed to humiliate them, while Israeli occupation authorities continued spreading smear campaigns labeling them as “terrorists” in an attempt to discredit the peaceful mission.
After being detained in Ashdod, hundreds of volunteers were transferred to Ktzi’ot Prison in Naqab (Negev). Even worse, court hearings for the volunteers were held without notifying their legal teams, leaving them without legal representation.
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Adalah has since attended the hearings to monitor the legal process while also visiting prisons to ensure the volunteers’ conditions.
“We demand the immediate release of all participants, the return of their personal belongings, and the distribution of the seized humanitarian aid,” Adalah asserted.
The Global Sumud Flotilla is a humanitarian fleet carrying more than 500 activists from dozens of countries, including Indonesia, sailing toward Gaza to break the 18-year naval blockade imposed by Israeli occupation forces. However, on October 1, the flotilla was violently intercepted in international waters, its ships forcibly towed, and hundreds of activists are now being held in Israeli custody.
International organizations, labor unions, and parliaments across Europe have called for protection of the volunteers. Protests are spreading worldwide, pressuring Israel to immediately release the detained activists. []
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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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